Abstract
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•Porous carbon nanoflakes were prepared by carbonizing xylose with KHCO3.•Porous carbon nanoflakes exhibited a satisfactory salt adsorption capacity.•Porous carbon nanoflakes have great potential for large-scale application.
Capacitive deionization (CDI) works by using the electrical double layer on various materials including nanoporous carbons to separate ions from saline water. To help realize industrial application, there has been an increasing interest in the exploration of carbon materials from low cost, eco-friendly and abundant biomass for CDI to align withthedemandsofsustainabledevelopmentstrategies. Herein we report pyrolysis of xylose with KHCO3 to prepare hierarchically porous carbon nanoflakes which display a satisfactory salt adsorption capacity of 16.29 mg g−1. This novel strategy can design highly efficient carbon materials from naturally-developed biomass materials with its low preparation cost, environmentally friendliness and superior desalination performance. Our xylose-derived hierarchically porous carbon nanoflakes are promising for potential industrial application for CDI.